An overall efficiency of gas turbine engines utilizing rotating blades to extract energy from a flow of working fluid is greatly influenced by the exact shape of the blades airfoil. The exact shape of the airfoils determines an overall efficiency for the engine. Each airfoil's aerodynamic efficiency can be quantitatively analyzed using aerodynamic parameters such as an airfoil section pressure loss, suction surface diffusion, suction side leading edge overspeed, and pressure side leading edge overspeed etc. However, the aerodynamic environment within each stage of the engine varies, and thus it is unlikely that a single airfoil design will be the most efficient in every stage. Similarly, there is rarely a single airfoil profile that yields the most efficient rating for all of the aerodynamic parameters. As a result, airfoils may be specifically designed to meet the aerodynamic needs of the stage in which it operates. Once the aerodynamic needs of the selected stage are defined, a final airfoil design for the selected stage usually involves striking a balance between the aerodynamic parameters.
Often, however, the resulting balance may work best for one intended application, but subsequently the design may be implemented in other applications that have different parameters that affect aerodynamics, and hence the original design may not be optimal. In addition, knowledge of those in the art may improve over time, allowing for innovative design changes that improve aerodynamic efficiency within the intended application. For these, and any number of other reasons, there exists an ongoing need in the art to produce blades with airfoils having improved aerodynamic efficiency.